PA City Council District 4 race

District 4 is up for grabs with current District 4 Councilman Harold Doucet running for mayor. The following are two candidates who are vying for the position:

Robert Troy

Age: 68

Hometown: Port Arthur

Background: Troy served as an elected official in both the National Maritime Union and Seafarers International Union. He was a merchant marine for 41 years, spending 31 years at sea, mostly working for New Orleans company Lykes Lines, which was the third largest American steamship line at one time, according to Troy.

Issues that need to be addressed: Water lines, unemployment

“We’ve got pretty bad water mains throughout the city,” he said. “Bad water pressure also affects the safety of the citizens because some of the fire mains just don’t have enough pressure to fight fires.”

Troy said that he also has a plan to address the unemployment issue in his district.

“It is now a technological world. People that have been working in the refinery for years have manual labor skills that are no longer needed because those skills have been automated,” he said. “Those people need to be retrained.”

He said that the city should develop partnerships with industry and educational institutions such as Lamar and Memorial High School.

“We need to start training high school kids in skills that are required at these refineries so they won’t have to leave Port Arthur,” he said. “We can have courses at high school that will prepare kids to work in these types of fields.”

Interesting tidbit: As a merchant marine, Troy has visited 109 different countries and has traveled on every ocean, making trips around the world at least six times, he said.

Why you should vote for him: Troy said that he believes that the skills he acquired while working in the merchant marines will help him better serve as District 4 councilmember.

“It’s a job that requires a lot of leadership,” he said. “I bring more in-depth knowledge about the industry, how the city is structured and organizational skills that I don’t think my opponent has. I’m a straightforward guy, and that is what is needed to move forward.”

He also said that his experience as an elected official in the National Maritime and Seafarers Unions has prepared him to represent the people of Port Arthur.

“It required dealing with people and their concerns, helping them with benefits and providing services for them,” Troy said. “Basically it’s the same thing as what I would be doing on the City Council.”

Because he has traveled to so many different regions of the world, Troy said that he believes he has a unique window into the various cultures that the city of Port Arthur has to offer.

“Travel broadens the mind,” he said. “You get to learn many different cultures and how people do things in different parts of the world. I know where they are coming from. I’ve been there and have seen how they live in their countries.”

Rosalind Linden-Queen

Age: 62

Hometown: Port Arthur

Education: Linden-Queen has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in business organizational management (both from University of Phoenix). She has a doctorate in theology from The Lord’s Outreach International School of Theology in Lake Charles.

Background: Linden-Queen served in the U.S. Army as a nurse and instructor in the medical profession, working her way up to sergeant first class. She had plans to go to officer candidate school but injured her back during the Persian Gulf War while loading wounded soldiers into a helicopter. “I am a disabled vet and during my military tour, spending time in other countries and cities, I rendered visions of what Port Arthur could and can become,” Linden-Queen said. She said that since she receives a check from the government, she is not going to accept a paycheck from the city if she becomes councilwoman. “If I am elected, I am hoping the city would allow me to take the funds that they would be paying me and turn it into a scholarship fund for needy children who want to go to college,” she said. After returning from the military, Linden-Queen worked as a volunteer at Port Arthur schools tutoring third-graders. “Our future is in our children,” she said.

Linden-Queen said that she helped manage several businesses in Las Vegas, where she also worked for the Maloof family, owners of the Sacramento Kings and former owners of the Fiesta Hotel. She also worked for Prudential Insurance and Sierra Insurance, the company that covers the Teamsters Union, she said. “My degrees have allowed me to work in several different fields,” she said.

As vice president of the Port Arthur Beautification Commission and committee member on the Zoning Board of Adjustments, Linden-Queen said she is already heavily involved in the city. “Our job is to make the city a nice looking city. We do cleanup and recycling.”

Issues that need to be addressed: Streets, infrastructure, beautification, unity within City Council

“My slogan for my campaign is unity plus strength equals growth,” she said. “These elements are necessary for conducting city business. Without them, the result is a stagnate society lacking growth. City Council members are elected by the people to meet the city’s needs in all areas. We must do that. City Council must have vision and be unified in purpose. That purpose is to meet the needs of our people and grow. A unified City Council will assure that infrastructure problems are fixed.”

Linden-Queen said the current City Council is not allowing Port Arthur to grow. “All we’re doing is tearing down,” she said. “We’re not building back up. No one can seem to agree on what should be built, where it should be built, how much money they need to use to build it and where they are going to get the money. If you are going to tear down dilapidated buildings and homes, put something in its place.

“ Curing the unemployment rate through training programs targeting locals will increase our tax base,” she said. “A broader revenue base through employment will enhance our ability to rectify infrastructure issues and other quality of life items deemed necessary for the city’s growth.”

Interesting tidbit: Linden-Queen is held a voter registration rally April 6, where she discussed the issues of Port Arthur. Rapper Bun B performed at the event.

Why you should vote for her: Linden-Queen said that she believes her education has prepared her to serve on City Council. “I know how to run an organization,” she said. “They need more people in City Council with business backgrounds. City Council is a business.” Linden-Queen said she already knows some of the major problems of the city — infrastructure and need for more beautification — because of the time she has spent serving on the Port Arthur Beautification Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustments. “Being involved in these two different commissions allows me to see what is going on in a lot of areas,” she said. “I love Port Arthur because it’s the place of my birth. I grew up here and want it to be the best it can be for our citizens.” She said she would push for beautification and street repair. “If you have a burning desire to fix something that’s wrong, you are going to get it done,” she said. Linden-Queen says that the city, school district and other industries need to get together and become one huge entity working together with the goal of helping Port Arthur grow. “If we don’t do what we need to do in this city, it is going to continue to go down,” she said.

While we harbor no disrespect for the Wall Street Journal who called us “that scrappy little paper from Southeast Texas,” we prefer to think of ourselves as simple seekers of the truth. We’re of the opinion that headlines and sound bites never tell the whole story. Our readers demand all the facts, facets and flavors of every story or event. And, they expect to be informed, educated and stirred to action.